Copied Blurb:
In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.
My Review:
My grandma sent this book to me, saying it was the best book she has read in years. It kept her up all night reading. Now can see why. It was a very powerful book, sometimes difficult to read. The foot binding that occured in China at the time period of this novel is quite terrible. While I knew prior to reading this story that foot-binding did happen then, I had no idea the pain and years involved in the process. And it happened when the girls were very young. As I was reading the parts where Lily, the narrator, was going through it herself at the tender age of seven, I kept glancing over to my own daughter, and could not see myself ever putting her through that kind of agony. Yet, in China at that time, girls whose feet were not bound, were not marriageable.
I really did like the story. Lisa See painted a vivid picture of nineteenth-century China. I would definitely read more books by her.
My Rating: 4.5
"I would be the most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves"...Anna Quindlen
powerful
This one was just SO powerful. There were times I had to stop listening to the audio just to give myself time to recover from the intensity of it. And the foot binding... oh, what to say about that other than thank goodness we never had to go through that!
The D2K Paranormal Junkies 2008 Challenge
Thank goodness, indeed!
Hey Debi!
I know different cultures have different traditions they follow, or have followed in the past that are difficult to understand. But this foot binding....and the pain involved with it...that I do not fully understand. You are right, thank goodness we never had to go through that. And thank goodness we do not have to put our daughters through it either.
It was fascinating to learn about the culture. The family dynamics of the time, and the spiritual beliefs, superstitions. It actually makes me want to learn more about their culture in modern days, just to see what has evolved since the time-period of this book. I think foot-binding itself was outlawed, I believe, in 1910. But do the women still marry into the husbands family and obey the mother-in-law?...and other questions like that.
Take Care,
Tammy
"I would be the most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves"...Anna Quindlen
I wondered
about some of those things myself!
The D2K Paranormal Junkies 2008 Challenge
I want to make time to read
I want to make time to read this one so much.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
Hey Debi & Merri!
Hey Debi!
Hey Merri!
It was a very well written book. It read very quickly. I hope you get a chance to read it soon!!
Take Care,
Tammy
"I would be the most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves"...Anna Quindlen